Short-term effects of Org OD 14 and 17β-oestradiol on bone and lipid metabolism in early post-menopausal women

The effects of 8 weeks of daily oral treatment with 1 mg 17 beta-oestradiol (E2), 2.5 mg Org OD 14 [7 alpha, 17 alpha)-17-hydroxy-7-methyl-19-norpregn-5(10)-en-20-yn-3-one) , a steroid with weak androgenic, weak oestrogenic and weak progestational activity, or placebo on calcium and lipid metabolism were compared in 21 healthy, early post-menopausal women in a randomised double-blind study. The treatment period was followed by a treatment-free period of 8 weeks to study the reversibility of drug-induced effects. The results show that both E2 and Org OD 14 reduce bone resorption, as indicated by the decreases in the urinary hydroxyproline/creatinine and calcium/creatinine ratios in 2-h fasting urine. In contrast to E2, Org OD 14 did not reduce serum calcium levels. As regards lipid parameters, E2 reduced the concentration of serum cholesterol and Org OD 14 decreased serum levels of high-density-lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides. All these effects appeared to be reversible after cessation of treatment. It is concluded that both of these steroids reduce bone resorption in early post-menopausal women, but that their mechanisms of action are most likely different.